What breed of horse did they use...

[la dee da]

So if they always used lighter breeds, what were drafts like the Shire used for?

 

[ams3651]

my grandmother loves to tell the story of when my dad was about 5, she went outsdie to find him standing under the Belgian they had with his finger up "tickle, tickle, tickle" on its stomach. The horse didnt flinch but by grandmother almost fainted.

The Belgian did alot of the work but as mentioned, they didnt have to round up cows or anything like that.

 

[farmerlor]

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Oh, there have always been businesses, richer farmers, Amish families, and professional carters who used heavy draft breeds for work. The Shire and Clydes are actually bred from the same horse but here in America Shires were in danger of extinction when mechanical vehicles came into favor.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

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What do you mean? They were bread to haul and pull, naturally thats what they were used for?

The draft breeds were a european phenom, they were slow to make it to the states in any great numbers. Often they were simply exhibits at local and state fairs in the beginning, where local farmers would be able to see them work until their popularity and numbers rose. In the mid 1800's the Shire was still much of a novelty here. The breed didnt officially exist in the states until 1885 when the registry was opened after a farmer in Illinois imported some breeding stock from England. It was HERE, just not in any great number.

They were specialty breeds and expensive, the average farmer wasnt usually able to afford importing his own stock, or to buy from the limited amount of breeders. So the bulk of the nations expansion and farm work was done by a general breed of horse.

Beyond that, the average farmer couldnt keep two separate breeds of horses- one for work and one for carriage and riding. It was too expensive, not only in initial cost but in housing and feed as well. Drafts werent built to pull carriages- they hauled loads yes, but if you wanted to get some where in any amount of time you wanted a lighter horse. And certainly one more easy to ride.

It'd be like choosing an SUV over having a sport car AND a giant pick up truck. They all do the same work, but in different ways and capacity.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

How far back? Oxen were probably a good choice ... if things went bad, you could always eat them.

My grandparents came to America from Hungary in 1909 and had a small farm outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He had one draft and two mules. (The draft was lighter than you see today.) Mother told me they mostly used the mules for plowing and the horse to go to town in the wagon. She said riding that horse was a 'jawbreaker.'

The mules were very smart. They knew their job. They also knew when dinnertime was. She told me one day she was plowing and only had a row or two left ... it was dinnertime ... the mules went home with her hanging on the plow! .

 

[Chicken Fruit]

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LOLOL!!

Wasnt there a time during the westward expansion when draft mules were highly sought after? Something about their disposition and health was better than a full on draft, and their basic needs were simpler to supply- likely it was just a bit cheaper all around!

More nimble footed and had a better mind for packing and plowing... lol. Something like that.

 

[la dee da]

Wow thanks for the info everyone

. I have done research on Shire horses but everywhere I read it said they did farm work and gave the impression of being everywhere on every farm. I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer

.

 

[preppy*hippie*chick]

Several people have mentioned Morgans. It should be noted that there is a big difference between early Morgans and the ones today. The modern Morgan is still quite versatile, but they are a much finer boned horse than the old type. Most have been bred for show and would not be suitable for farm work.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

TO the above post-OMG YES! Morgans are supposed to be a bit chunky, but breeders started going for thin legs-but didn't modify the body size. So now quite a few have leg probs.
Knights on horse back-think Friesians, but without all the breeding for carting, and the head carriage. Probably with less feathering. Anyway, about that size.
I like big horses. I know that when you start breeding for much over 16 hands you run into more problems, but I like them.

 

[Cara]

Surprisingly enough, Tennessee Walkers were also used for draft work as well as riding. That was back when they had good bone, rather than the light-boned examples that are commonly seen today. They would use them to plow during the week, and race them for fun (and probably money!) on the weekends.